Dubai and Istanbul shine in Kearney’s Global Cities Index
The latest Global Cities Index from Kearney indicates a significant acceleration of urban power shifts, with Dubai and Istanbul emerging as key movers in the MENA region.
Cities in the MENA region have been demonstrating impressive resilience and growth in recent year. The report notes how Dubai and Istanbul, in particular, have managed to leverage strategic investments in human capital, digital infrastructure, and environmental resilience to solidify their positions on the global stage.
Dubai has been a star in the index for years now, having remained in the top 25 for five years in a row, in part thanks to its incredible success in attracting skilled workers and entrepreneurs that have done wonders to strengthen its economy, which – much like the rest of the GCC countries – has long been over-reliant on the oil and gas industry.
The 2025 Global Cities Index finds that while traditional global hubs like New York, London, and Paris maintain the top ranks, a new tier of agile, transforming cities is rapidly closing the gap.
“The future of global urban leadership will belong to those cities that weave energy, environmental resilience, and talent into a durable, self-reinforcing foundation,” said Brenna Buckstaff, principal at Kearney.
Dubai leads the way
Dubai stands out as the MENA region’s leader in the core Global Cities Index (GCI), which measures current performance across five dimensions: Business Activity, Human Capital, Information Exchange, Cultural Experience, and Political Engagement.
The star Emirate secured the 23rd spot globally, rising one place from the previous year. This consistent upward momentum is attributed to its success in attracting global flows of capital and ideas, underpinned by comprehensive digital transformation strategies and a focus on livability.
Perhaps more telling of its future influence, Dubai also saw a massive surge in the forward-looking Global Cities Outlook (GCO), which measures a city’s future potential. Dubai climbed 19 places in the GCO, landing at 25th globally, fueled primarily by a dramatically improved innovation environment and enhancements to personal well-being.
This performance highlights Dubai’s success in translating long-term development strategies into measurable, rapid progress, particularly in preparing its talent pool for the ‘intelligence age’.
Istanbul emerges as a human capital hub
While competing in a challenging geopolitical and economic landscape, Istanbul has been cementing its role as an important hub and an important city in the region. With its incredibly strategic location on the Bosporus strait at the intersection of the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the Turkish capital has been fought over since back when it was called Constantinople.
The Turkish megacity showed world-class performance in critical sub-indicators. For example, Istanbul ranked as high as 15th globally in the Human Capital category, demonstrating its immense strength in attracting and developing diverse talent.
With its vast and diverse population, Istanbul is consistently cited alongside Dubai and Riyadh as one of the most important urban centers shaping the future trajectory of the MENA region. Its strategic focus on education, culture, and connectivity is positioning it for future growth despite lingering economic volatility.
A new era of urban leadership
The rise of both Dubai and Istanbul is reflective of a wider trend across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cities, which registered some of the most impressive year-on-year gains worldwide. Riyadh advanced eight places to 56th, and Manama climbed ten places.
According to the Kearney report, the next era of urban leadership will be defined by how well cities align three critical enablers: Expanding energy capacity, embedding environmental resilience and livability into growth, and actively preparing their talent for the AI-driven future.
Many rising star cities in the MENA region, which are making systemic reforms and sustained investments in these areas, are demonstrating an ability to withstand global disruption and accelerate their ascent up the global city hierarchy.
“Cities are no longer defined by legacy advantages or sheer scale. Their competitiveness now rests on how well they can cultivate talent, build trust in digital systems, and design livable environments that can withstand volatility,” said Rudolph Lohmeyer, senior partner at Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council.
